Confession

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Rebekah_34

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As a Catechumen, I was told I could not be absolved. My RCIA leader said I could go to Confession, but the priest would not absolve me. Upon hearing this I was deeply saddened and disappointed, I’ve never been to Confession in my life and I feel truly sorry about some things. A friend told me I shouldn’t be sad; Confession is sacred enough it should worth the wait. I’ve learned a lot about Confession and understand it, but the Eater Vigil is still a good 11 months away(which really isnt THAT long). But I don’t know if ANYONE could go around knowing they are not absolved of their life sins but there is a way to be absolved. Am I missing something here?

And is my RCIA leader right? Even if I did go to Confession and the priest did not absolve me, would it not be considered sacreligious?
 
Hi,

Send a PM to me if you wish. I do have something that relates to his topic but do not wish to post it in the thread.

God’s blessings and His Peace upon you.

Little One0307
 
There are two things to be aware of.

First of all, when you are baptized at the Easter Vigil all of your sins will be forgiven. You’ll start as a new creation in Christ.

Second, Reconciliation is a sacrament. In order to receive a sacrament, you need to be baptized – that’s the one that opens the way to the others. So no, you can’t receive absolution until after you have been baptized.
 
Rebekah_34 said:
As a Catechumen, I was told I could not be absolved. My RCIA leader said I could go to Confession, but the priest would not absolve me. Upon hearing this I was deeply saddened and disappointed, I’ve never been to Confession in my life and I feel truly sorry about some things. A friend told me I shouldn’t be sad; Confession is sacred enough it should worth the wait. I’ve learned a lot about Confession and understand it, but the Eater Vigil is still a good 11 months away(which really isnt THAT long). But I don’t know if ANYONE could go around knowing they are not absolved of their life sins but there is a way to be absolved. Am I missing something here?

And is my RCIA leader right? Even if I did go to Confession and the priest did not absolve me, would it not be considered sacreligious?
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go talk to the Preist.
 
All that has been posted is true. Baptism forgives all prior sins. After Baptism sins are forgiven in Confession.

However, fortunately God’s mercy and forgiveness are not limited to baptized Christians. You can at any time approach God, tell Him how sorry you are, and ask Him to forgive you. Trust in His mercy.

It is not inappropriate to meet with a priest and tell him your sins and express your repentance. He cannot give you sacramental absolution, so you wouldn’t have the absolute assurance that comes from the sacrament that your mortal sins are forgiven. But he could pray with you and encourage you to return to God and remain faithful to Him. He could help you come to a state of ‘perfect contrition’ for your sins, which is a sorrow because you have offended an infinitely good God, as opposed to ‘imperfect contrition’ which is sorrow for sin because of a fear of the consequences of sin.

As a catechumen, you could ask a priest to be your spiritual director and meet with you on a regular basis, something that you might find very helpful. Or you could make an appointment or just go in to talk to the priest during the scheduled time for confessions. Tell him that you’re a catechumen and understand he can’t absolve you of your sins but that you would like to confess them and express your sorrow to God.
 
That you are seeking our Lord’s mercy and aching to be reconciled to Him, even before being baptized, is a wonderful thing.
Your final RCIA period next year, during Lent, will be a time of close examination of conscience and repetence, and I think you will be ever more joyful about how much Jesus wants to forgive you and heal you.
 
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